Summer 2015 New England roadtrip!

Hello from Granddaddy’s house in Ashburn, VA.  It’s summer roadtrip 2015!  Our adventure started yesterday afternoon.  Coleson got home from work about 4pm.  We drove Maya and her crate over to Nana’s, wished Pop-Pop a happy birthday, and said hello to Jason & Amber.  We then starting throwing stuff in the back of the van.  As the kids get older, it gets easier to pack!  Just the basics this trip, not even a pack-n-play, although we did bring the napmat and a blanket for Chlo-Chlo.  She’s too big for a crib, but we’re still afraid she’d fall out of a real bed in a hotel room.  So anyways, we left home about 5:15.  We picnicked in the car and made it about seven hours before stopping at midnight at a Red Roof Inn in Durham, North Carolina.

Only a few hours into our trip, we’ve had our first casualty : Critter.  If you know anything about Chloe, you know that Critter goes everywhere.  Critter is Mommy-made and very special to both of us.  He is super well-loved and actually just had knee surgery two nights before we left.  We know she had fallen asleep with him in the car Thursday night, but I remember noticing when we were in the hotel room that she wasn’t holding him.  And of course, a couple minutes later when we laid down, she started crying for “Dritt-Er.”  We assured her that he was in the car, and she was able to fall asleep.  Let me tell you, we have looked everywhere for him.  We couldn’t find him the next morning in the car, we walked to the room and back several times, we’ve torn through our suitcases, I even checked the trashcans in the stairwells at the hotel.  We’ve check twice with the hotel office and they have our name and number in case he shows up.  He’s literally disappeared into thin air.  Chloe has taken it fairly well – fortunately Abby is not attached to her Critter, and so “Abby Critter” has filled in occasionally in the past.  Chloe has clung to Abby’s Critter today and is currently sleeping with him.  I keep praying Critter will show up, and I keep checking the car even though I know he’s not there. 

After checking out of our hotel, we got donuts from the gas station next door and coffee from McDonald’s before finishing up the last four hours to the DC area.  We meet up with Choi family in time for lunch today, woohoo!  We picnicked with them at an awesome park on Burke Lake – we have a box in the truck with bread, PB, honey, lots of snacks, apples, etc.  After lunch we rode a fun little train and watched the ducks [geese] down by the lake.  We finished up with ice cream and a rootbeer float for me at the park’s ice cream parlor.  It was a cute place and a fun afternoon.  After the park, we stopped by David and Kelley’s new townhome.  It’s a great place with a basement and nice backyard.  The kids enjoyed hanging out with Hannah.  She’s in between Abby and Chloe’s age, so the girls especially play really well.  It’s always fun to see the Chois and catch up on life! 

This evening we arrived at Granddaddy and Grandma Jo-Ann’s.  They had an awesome dinner for us – rice and beans and pork and corn.  It was delicious!!  The kids spent the evening in the basement playing ping-pong with Granddaddy and coloring with Grandma Jo-Ann.  They’ve also added a fun placehouse since our last trip.  The weather was a little drizzly, so we passed on a scooter ride with the kids, and instead Coleson and I snuck our by ourselves for a short run/walk.  It was a nice treat!  Thanks Granddaddy for watching our kiddos.  We thought briefly about checking out local fireworks tonight, but the kids were pretty tired.  Chloe asked for bed and fell asleep without a peep [and with Abby’s Critter]; the rest of us weren’t far behind.  We’re excited for a fun-filled Fourth of July tomorrow!  Unfortunately it’s supposed to rain, but surely there’ll still be lots of patriotic fun to be had! 

Are trip to Maxim,s house By Ryan

We left on Monday to go to Maxim,s house. When we got their we played with thier toy,s. Then we had sandwich and watermelon for lunch. Next we went to the pool. We rod the lazy river. We played and swam in the pool. Then we went back to the house and took shower,s. When we were done me and Maxim played on the tv. Then we had pizza for dinner. Next we put on are pj,s. Then chloe and stratum went to bed and me and Maxim and Abby played. Next  Abby went to bed. Then me and Maxim read a book in bed. Next we went to bed. On Tuesday we woke up and played. Then we had French toast or a bar with fruit for breakfast. Next we went hikeing and played on a playground. Then      we went to jeray,s mike, s subs for lunch. Then we went back to the house then me and Maxim played in his room. Next me and Maxim played on the tv then we played outside. Then we had hot dogs, veggie sticks and carrots. Then we went outside rod bikes. Then we went home.

 

our awesome weekend

Summer has been great, but the last two weeks have been fairly busy and we haven't had much family time.  Coleson was in Vegas this past week for work and the week before that both Ryan and Abby had camps.  Ryan's camp was an evening camp, which meant no family dinners and no Mommy/Daddy time after bedtime - it's hard to do that when Ryan's up til all hours of the night :) 

Coleson returned from Vegas Thursday night, and the kids and I picked him up from the airport.  We arrived a little early so we could hang out in the cell phone lot watching the planes.  We enjoyed that quite a bit, and it was so nice to see Daddy! 

Friday night we had our first homecooked, family dinner in what felt like forever.  Taco pasta, one of Mommy's favorites, yumm!  Ryan's been growing his hair out - well, more like Ryan just hasn't had a haircut.  He doesn't like it long, but he doesn't want it cut.  And it's summertime, and Mommy doesn't care, so it's just been growing wild.  The topic of his hair came up again at dinner and Ryan decided he was ready for a cut and he wanted it short again.  Well, the long look is looking pretty good on him, so after a bit of convincing, off went Mommy and Ryan for a real haircut.  Not a Mommy buzz, but a professional with scissors and everything.  He picked Sport Clips, based solely on the name and that they had TVs.  It's still "long," at least for Ryan, but it's all cleaned up and trimmed.  He looks so super handsome and way too grown up! 

Saturday we went on a cave tour and gold mining with Ryan's Cub Scouts pack.  I'd never been either, so I was actually really looking forward to it.  We were at Consolidated Gold Mines in Dahlonega.  We learned the name is because at one time there were six different mines in that area that consolidated together.  There were about 30 or 35 of us on our tour - John was the only other boy from Ryan's den, so they stuck together most of the time.  The mine was really pretty neat.  Lots of cool things to see and a guide who told us lots of cool facts.  The kids all did great, even when he turned off the lights.  And even when he turned on one of the old drills that echoed loudly around the mine.  The girls won't use hand dryers in public restrooms, but they did fine with the drill, go figure!  After the tour, we went panning for gold.  It was okay, but the kids enjoyed it and we all got our token three or four specks.  The gems were way more fun, in my opinion.  Each kid had a huge bucket of sand with gems and rocks.  They were able to shovel them on to the sifters and find the treasures.  It was a lot more interactive and fun and messy!  We returned home for some downtime in the afternoon, followed by dinner at our favorite Mexican place - Las Palmas.  It was a really nice dinner.  Very relaxing and enjoyable, a great end to our day.

More adventures on Sunday - after church and lawn mowing, we rented a canoe and kayak on Lake Allatoona.  It was a blast!  The canoe held three of us and the kayak two.  The kids weren't much help paddling, but Mommy and Daddy got a workout :)  We explored for awhile and even ventured across the lake [boats and waves, but it actually wasn't bad at all].  We then pulled the boats to the shore for a break.  The kids loved swimming in the lake!  It was a perfect day - low 80s instead of the high 90s we've been having.  Lots of blue sky and sunshine.  We saw huge birds, and the train crossed the cool bridge across the lake three times during our two-hour rental.  After some snacks, we boarded our boats again to meander around the lake some more.  But all the kids really wanted to do was get back in the water.  So once we were back in the no-wake zone, we let them jump out for a quick swim before returning the boats.  It was soo much fun!!  I could get used to life on the lake!  At some point, Abby said something about loving this day, and they kept asking when we could go again.  We picked up some Little Ceaser's on the way home to cap off our pretty-much-perfect weekend.  I'm so thankful for this amazing family of ours, and the wonderful opportunities we are blessed with!  I could say something cliché about being intentional and experiencing life together, but let's leave it at : it's so much fun having fun with them!! :) 

And PS, despite our 2-4pm canoe rental timeframe, no one got sunburnt, or even red!  Hooray!

Coanoing and kayaking by Ryan

Today we went kayaking and canoeing at holiday Harbor. First Abby and daddy road in a kayak me Chloe and mommy road in a canoe. Then we stopped at a beach and swim in the lake then we had a snack then me and Abby traded baots. Then the me , Abby and Chloe got of the boats and siwmed in the deep water. Last went back to the harbor.

Cave mining day, by Ryan!

Today we went exeploring in a cave with scouts. Next we shitftet a pan and found GOLD! Last we scooped some sand out of a bucket and put in a shifter and shifted it and found CRYSTALS!

Maya's day by Ryan

We started the at petsmart and got Maya a all pink new collar. Then we went to the vet for Maya`s checkup. Next we went to hot dog heaven for lunch. Last we went to a trail and scootered to a dog park and it poured rain there so when the rain slowed down we rod very wet back to the car then drove home .              

blog books

In the past, I was better about updating my blog posts.  I've had droughts for sure, but overall I think I did pretty good.  I even have three books that I've printed out from my blog.  And I need to be better again, I need to try to make a better effort to update the page and to print out books.  The kids love to look at the books.  Ryan recently discovered them and he will sit and read through them for as long as I'll let him.  He's a great reader, and Abby loves to look at the pictures.  I'm sure she'll be reading them in no time too!  So since my scrapbooks are nearly five years out of date and my photos are all posted online, keeping up my blog posts and blog books seems like an important thing to once again prioritize - an awesome, physical, tangible collection of memories for all to enjoy.  So here's to a new start!  hopefully! 

guest blogger Ryan Chase

I hit the ball to first base and first baseman dived for
the ball and he missed the ball and went to
right field and I ran to second base then I ran to third base then I ran home!
I got my first home run!

The ball was hit to LF. LF threw the ball to me. I got
the ball and turned around and dived for the guy
and got the out!

My team is the best team.

We are so good we won the championship!

High Five Abby!

Happy 5th birthday Abby!!  Wow!  What a long way you've come in such a short amount of time!  You've turned in to an amazing little girl - strong and tough and smart and athletic.  But perhaps Mommy's favorite quality is your endless joy and optimism.  You almost never get down, you have this wonderful, natural ability to see the best in everything.  For example, it has rained ALL April long, but that hasn't phased you : you remind us everyday "April showers bring May flowers!!"  If something doesn't go your way, you simply brush it off and keep on.  You are a great big sister; Chloe adores you!  You are patient and motherly and always super helpful.  I can always count on you, not just with Chloe, but with Maya too!  And of course, you know it : "I'm a greater helper, aren't I?"  You're certainly not lacking in self-confidence and I love that!

You're an awesome soccer player.  You've had a great season playing i9 with your buddies.  This is the third season you've played with Coach Daddy and Coach Zach and all your little teammates : Asher, Levi, Larsen, Lyla, etc.  You routinely dominate and often score three or four goals a game.  However, my very favorite Abby soccer moment this season was when Levi scored a goal.  You ran right up to him and gave him a big ole' congratulatory high five.  What a great sport and teammate, Mommy was sooo proud of you!! 

So, back to turning five!  What a milestone - the big oh-five, a full hand!  Your birthday was on a Monday this year and the celebrations began the weekend before.  After church on Sunday, we gave you a new sheet set.  This was a little confusing, until we explained that we were off to IKEA to pick out a new bed!  A big, beautiful twin size bed!  You've been so excited about it and have shown it off to everyone who's come over.  And a new bed for you meant an upgrade for Chloe too; she got your toddler bed.  After a couple of nighttime falls, you two are doing great and have no problems staying in the bed.  After IKEA and the bed assembling, your grandparents and Cousin Steve came over for dinner and cake.  It was a great evening and a wonderful day of Abby! 

Monday morning, Daddy took off work and we hosted some of your bestest little buds for a pancake breakfast.  You love pancakes, so it seemed perfect!  The guests came in PJs and had a blast.  We kept it small on purpose, and I think that the party so much better that way.  It was calmer and more intimate, and I really think you had so much more fun.  The guests included Naomi, Larsen, Levi, Lyla, Elli Bond, and of course your built-in best friend Chloe :)  And in lieu of cupcakes bright and early, we put your candle in a cinnamon roll.  What a fun morning!  After the breakfast guests left, we hung out and played and got ready for Ryan's baseball game.  Unfortunately the game was rained out while we were driving there.  But that's okay, we went on a short walk and then to Sweet Escapes for ice cream!  Nana came too and we met Sam and Jack and Ben up there.  I hadn't invited them to breakfast since they have school on Monday and wouldn't know the other guests, but I wanted to make sure you saw them at some point on your special day.  As it happens, we also ran into Max and Grant and Grace there.  Lots of fun eating and playing and being crazy silly with your friends.  I love that you have such great friends!

Your checkup with Dr. Bowman went great.  You're 42.5" tall and 43lbs.  Both are right about the 50th percentile.  No concerns and perhaps more importantly no shots!  You also saw Dr. Smith this year.  Again that went very smoothly.  Your kidney is awesome, and you are medically boring and completely normal.  You can do anything anyone else can do (and you're proving that you can usually do it better!).  The only cautions would probably be football and horseback riding, but really overall there are no worries at all.  We have been so blessed with your wonderful growth and amazing health, and anyone meeting you now would never know or believe how sick you once were.  We are so thankful!!

Happy birthday my Sweet Girl!!!!  Mommy and Daddy love you so very much!!!